Final answer:
Frederick Hoffman's extinction thesis might overlook the role of human impacts such as habitat destruction and introduced predators on species with inherent vulnerabilities like small range size, as well as the loss of evolutionary history caused by extinctions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The aspect that Frederick Hoffman’s extinction thesis overlooks is the complex interplay between human impacts, such as habitat destruction and introduced predators, and the inherent vulnerabilities of species, such as having a small range size or being naturally scarce. Hoffman’s thesis may not fully consider how these human impacts can amplify the risk of extinction for species that are already susceptible due to their ecological characteristics.
For instance, while Hoffman’s thesis may predict extinctions based on species with small ranges, it does not fully address the additional factors that can lead to extinction, such as direct human persecution or the effects of introduced species, as highlighted by Myers. Moreover, Hoffman’s extinction thesis may not account for the evolutionary history lost when species go extinct, which is crucial for understanding the full impact of biodiversity loss.
Overall, the extinction thesis may undervalue the significance of ecological basis of extinction risk and the role of human behavior in accelerating the disappearance of species, potentially leading to a simplification of the complex processes that govern species extinction.
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